Book two closes in on completion. We will definitely make our goal of having it out this month but not in the first two weeks. A few art pieces and maps left to finalize.

Work is already ramping up on Book 3.

If I were giving the "elevator pitch" for the first three books, this is what I'd say:

Book One -- the birth of a villain, escape and then your first taste of vengeance
Book Two -- Dungeon Keeper for Pathfinder
Book Three -- Angel slayer! The Book where you get to get to craft magic items out of angel bones.

Glad to hear your excited about the next book. I am eager to get it out the door.

First, take this with a grain of salt. Layout is still being finalized so there could be changes, even extensive ones.

That said, you'll likely get three appendices with this product:

1) A Farholde Gazetteer -- a gazetteer and full color, full-page map of the most remote, northernmost part of Talingarde on the edge of the great Caer Bryr.

2) Masters of Evil -- An optional system for making the leadership feat a more playable, practical part of an evil game and rules for building your own island-spanning evil organization. The Knot of Thorns takes root and grows!

3) Deeper Shades of Darkness -- An essay about campaign variants besides your typical evil campaign. For example, how would run "Way of the Wicked" as an all-cleric campaign.

The fearsome gorgimera by Michael Clarke arrives. This three-headed monstrosity will appear in full color in our forthcoming book "Way of the Wicked Book Two: Call Forth Darkness" which drops this month!

Gorgimeras aren't unintelligent. I think the beast would be flattered if you had a tattoo of the it. The monstrosity might pause, admire the workmanship and briefly hold off from bathing you in a searing spray of caustic vapor.

Picked up the preview, loved the concept and went forward with getting the full module. I get to run it Monday, I'm intriqued to see my players trying to bust out of prison. Group is comprised of:

A human witch, shadow patron (NE), guilty of the crime of consorting with dark powers

A half-orc armor master archetype fighter (LE) guilty of the crime of dessertion

A dwarven (LE) monk guilty of murder

An elven bladebound magus (LE), guilty of dueling to the death

A half-elven knife master rogue (NE), guilty of high theft

A gnome pyromaniac oracle of flame (NE), guilty of arson (shocking!)

For character creation we used something similar to the Focus and Foible methond in the module, but slightly modified. I figured with six characters it could be fun, so the six attributes were tossed in a hat, each player drew one out, that became their focus, then back in the hat and they drew out their foible. Then each picked a remaining stat and I rolled the remaing stats and they went down the line, so everyone started with the same base stats, just in different places, not adjusting for race. Should be interesting to see things play out.

A N human cleric that's guilty of blasphemy and heresy. Mostly because he's delusional believes himself to be a god and that everyone should worship him. (In secret he's actually descended from a godly outsider.)

Since a couple of these guys have resistances, I'm taking the advice that I asked for from Gary, and having acid burns and tattoos put on them. The pyromancer has made it his life long duty to make sure to mark everyone responsible, right back. The cleric agreed, and is considering doing the same thing. It will be their side revenge scheme.

Out of curiosity, what are people's thoughts on what the PC's see on the way in? Do they arrive with hoods on their heads until they reach the branding area or do they get a chance to see some of the guardposts (and possibly the password)? Also, do they get a last meal (these being LG jailors and all) or no food or drink period (they are all pretty much scheduled for execution in three days, might not bother)?

I'm having them come in on a coach, much like a prison bus. Then they'll all be led to the branding area, no hoods. Everyone will see everything so that they know what's coming for them next. Since they're in a chain gang, it's only worse because you know who's first and who's last. I'll have them make exhaustion checks for standing on their legs all day while the acid burning and tattooing is taking place. That'll take a considerably amount of time.

I'm not giving them a chance to see the password. They'll have to investigate that on their own. If they don't get out within the first few days, they'll be given a last meal.

Out of curiosity, what are people's thoughts on what the PC's see on the way in? Do they arrive with hoods on their heads until they reach the branding area or do they get a chance to see some of the guardposts (and possibly the password)? Also, do they get a last meal (these being LG jailors and all) or no food or drink period (they are all pretty much scheduled for execution in three days, might not bother)?

You know, this is the bit that if I ever do a special edition of this adventure that I'm going to add a page or two to flesh out.

Here's what I would do until that happens (and to be fair, it may never happen).

Spoiler:

I would read this to the players:

They brought you to the prison in the back of a rickety wooden wagon, hooded and shackled. What could you hear but the crack of the whip, the neigh of the team? What could you see but the inside of your hood, faint traces of light? What could you feel but cold iron and rough sackcloth? You were bound for the worst prison in Talingarde. You were bound for Branderscar. No one had ever escaped from that hell hole. What more did you need to know?

I would then have the PCs roll a Perception skill check. Whoever rolls the highest has a hole in their mask.

I would hand that PC a crude drawn version of the Branderscar map complete with a few tantalizing details and great big gaps everywhere. I would make sure that the PC with the map isn't the same PC as the one Tiadora gives the veil to.

I definitely wouldn't give them the password for free. They have to earn that on their own (hopefully in an appropriately evil way).

And then cut to them in their cell and run as written at that point.

As far as feeding the prisoners, if they remain in their cell long enough, they get fed once a day. It might be a great time to break out, except the guards are most ready for trouble at feeding time.

Thoughts?

Gary McBride
Fire Mountain Games
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled." -- Plutarch

I wouldn't immediately cut to their cell. I'd have them go through the agonizing walk into the prison to the branding pot, where they'll be told how it works at Branderscar, then go through the turmoil they experience, and THEN put them in their cell.

I wouldn't immediately cut to their cell. I'd have them go through the agonizing walk into the prison to the branding pot, where they'll be told how it works at Branderscar, then go through the turmoil they experience, and THEN put them in their cell.

I'll never say never, but for now DriveThruRPG is the only place the print version is available.

Gary McBride
Fire Mountain Games
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, it is a fire to be kindled" -- Plutarch

No doubt there's all kinds of complications and issues. Nonetheless, I'd be certain to pick up a print copy if it were available here, but almost certainly won't elsewhere (I'm not strictly rational when it comes to RPG purchases).

I wouldn't immediately cut to their cell. I'd have them go through the agonizing walk into the prison to the branding pot, where they'll be told how it works at Branderscar, then go through the turmoil they experience, and THEN put them in their cell.

Oh, even better!

I should probably explain the "works" part better. By that, I mean that they'll meet just who's in charge, and he'll list all of the stuff that they won't be doing or else they'll receive a paddling.

In a couple months we're going to be having a small local gaming convention and was thinking about running the preview adventure there. As such I'll probably be making up a handful of pre-gens for the players to choose from. Anyone have any recommendations on what to make them? Trying to make it a good showing, so characters that people would probably enjoy in this kind of scenario.

Balentyne has burned. The PC's got there, spent a fortnight plotting, then struck. Killed the troupe of actors and left the desecrated remains on the road to draw out a patrol, then ambushed the patrol. Framed the dwarven Leader for theft, timing it so when the captains came to question him he'd be drunk and argumentative, leading to him quitting and taking his lads with him. Played Eddarly and Mott off against each other(Mott got a critical and beheaded him with the first swing of the duel). Lord Havelyn, the Magister, Mad Martin, Father Donnegan and Captain Barhold all died swiftly while in the radius of Silence spells, while a score of rank and file lay sick from poison in their barracks. Having opened the Gates, our vile villains stood on the bridge of death and took on all comers till Sakkarot and his lads cracked the seal and flooded through to take the defenders from the rear.

Ran Act I on Monday. We were down a player due to illness, which hindered the groups' tactics on account of the missing player is also the most tactically-minded.

Spoiler:

I believe they waited approximately two hours before busting out, in a clumsy but frenetic escape attempt. It did not help things that the rogue was having one of those nights where rolling above a 5 is rare event. There was no bloody handed revenge, either, with the PC's running for their lives while being peppered with arrows. Highlights of the evening include:

The witch charming the guard in the prison guard room while the fighter, monk, magus and rogue went to work on the guard checking on the noise coming from their cell (after the rogue botched quietly removing the chain shackling their legs. After he dropped the lockpicks three times). The best part was the witch's charmed statement to the room guard "It's okay, the other guy is giving us our beatings for being disorderly. Go back about your business."

The other highlight was the gnome oracle being lowered upside down, down the chimney to cast murderous command on the servants, once on each. Then they ran for the guards, which pulled on guard away from the main hall and through the use of a message spell and a disguise check, eventually pulled the second guard off the main hall as well. Then it was the sprint to freedom.

Okay, it's official. I actually want to run another Pathfinder campaign, and I want it to be this one. Don't have time to do so yet, but I wanted to see another adventure or two before we get going anyway.

Okay, it's official. I actually want to run another Pathfinder campaign, and I want it to be this one. Don't have time to do so yet, but I wanted to see another adventure or two before we get going anyway.

Really impressed.

Excellent! Great to hear! Thanks for posting and thanks for your review.

Hey Gary, could you keep us up to date if you're able to do up some pregen characters for this? I was asked to do a game at our local PrairieCon convention, and thought the initial prison break adventure might be good to do. Don't know if I can do it in the 2.5 hour mark that we're restricted to though. I haven't run this for my local group as of yet, but I will have by the time the convention hits in June. I'll get a better feel then.

Absolutely. I will post here when the pregens are done (sometime in March) and will send them to anyone who asks. If you do end up running the adventure, please let us know and we will send you some prize support via snail mail.

Absolutely. I will post here when the pregens are done (sometime in March) and will send them to anyone who asks. If you do end up running the adventure, please let us know and we will send you some prize support via snail mail.

Thanks. About the prizes, I wasn't going to ask, but I know the committee was going to. The fact that you're offering saves time. Again, thanks.